Engine housing for locomotives or the like



Sept. 10, 1946. J. M. MILHEIZLER' ENGINE HOUSING FOR LOCOMOTIVES OR THE LIKE Filed March 15, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet '1 ymm ' dosep/rM/ i l/aie/iz/efl Sept. 10, 1946.

J. M. MILHEIZLER.

ENGINE HOUSING FOR' LOCOMOTIVES OR THE LIKE Filed March 15, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet, 2

I INVENTOR JosephMkW/he/z/er Sept. 10, 194e.i

J. M. MILHEHZLER ENGINE. HOUSING FOR LOCOMOTIVES on THE LIKE Filed March 15, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 railroads.

Patented Sept. 10, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT men ENGINE HOUSING FOR LOCOMOTIVES I OR THE LIKE Joseph M. Milheizler, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to H. K. Porter Company, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa., a

corporation of Pennsylvania Application March- 15, 1944, Serial No. 526,633 2 Claims. (01. 10562) This invention relates to a housing for the engine of a locomotive, particularly a locomotive v l-ating ports and it cover;

free vcirculation of cooling Iair therethrough. I

Further objects of the invention are toprovide a housing having a good appearance and ample strength and rigidity to withstand the relatively rough service to which rolling stock is usually subjected. Another object is the provision of an engine housing of simple construction which may be produced at relatively-low cost.

' In a preferred embodiment, my novel engine housing comprises a frame composed principally of spaced bottom rails, front and rear posts standing thereon and top rails carried by the posts. the top rails support a roof composed of a center panel and downwardly curving side panels hinged at their lower edges to the top rails. The center roof panel has ventilating ports provided with Front and rear archmembers carried by covers pivoted thereon and carries operating,

means common to the several covers. Doors hinged to the posts and additional doors slidable on the rails constitute substantially the entire side walls of the housing. A- front-end closure is secured to the front posts and constitutes a continuation of the sides and roof. I The frontend closure is provided with a windowfor admitting cooling air. A plurality of shutter vanes are pivotally mounted inside the window for control ling the air and each vane has one edge shaped to constitute a grille-bar when the vanes are in open position. The novel features and advantages of the in- 'vention may be more clearly understood from a consideration of the following-detailed descriptin referring'to the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment. In the drawin s, V

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an engine housing according to my invention; n

Figure 2 is a plan view thereof; Figure 3 is a frontelevation;

Figure .4 is a partial ectional view taken along the line IV-IV of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a rear elevation of the shutter 'vanes and their'supporting frame;

Figure 6 is a transverse section therethrough taken along the plane of line VI-VI of Figure 5;

Figure '7 is a partial sectionlthrough one side of the housing, taken along the planeof line VII-VII of Figure 1; v

Figure 8 is a partial section through the roof taken along the plane of line'VIIIVIII of Fig ure 1;

Figure 9 is a plan view of a portion of the roof, to enlarged scale, showing one of the venti- Figurev 10 is a longitudinal section taken along the plane of line X--X of Figure 9;

Figure 11 is .a partial section through the lower portion of 'one side of the front-end closure, taken along the line of plane XL-XI of Figure 1; and r t Figure 12 is a partial section througha headlight supportingring, taken; along the planeof line XII-XII of Figurei3.

Referring in detail to the housing indicated generally at It] includes a frame made up of spaced bottom rails or sills H and 12' front posts [3 and I4. and rear posts 15 and I6, upstanding thereon. The front and rear posts support top rails or beams I'I'and l8. Front and rear arch members I 9 and are supported on the rails H and l-8. The rails H and [2 are composed of flanged plates having angle bars 2| welded to the lower edge thereof. Angle bars 22 are welded to the flange of the rails which is disposed uppermost. The posts l3 and M are flat bars welded to flanged side panels l3a and: Ma as shown in Figure 4. The posts l5 and I6 are similar in construction to the rails II and I2, having angle bars 23 welded to the-rear edge thereof. The rails I! and 18 are similar to the rails H and I2 except that they have flanges at bothedges and have angle bars 24 welded to 40 the lower flange thereof. The arch member I9 in Figures 3 and 7.

The-housing I0 is adapted to be installed on a floor or deck of a locomotive adjacent the operators cab. To this end, the angle bars 2| at the lower edges of the bottom rails I i and I2 may be welded to the deck plate the upper surface of which is designated by the chain line'25 in Figure member 20 may be welded to the cab wall, the outer surface of which is designated by chain line 26 in Figure 1. The frame described above has sides formed substantially exclusively by doors 21, 28, 29, 30, a roof including a center panel 3!, and side panels 32 and 33 curving downwardly therefrom, and a front-end closure-34 which constitutes a rounded continuation of the sides and roof. The center panel -3l has down-turned flanges Welded to angle bars 35 and 36 extending drawings, my engine- 1. Similarly, the angle bars 23 and the arch I longitudinally of the housing between the arch members l9 and 29. The flanges ofthe panel 3! are provided with louvers 3la spaced along the length thereof. The panel 3i also has a plurality of ventilating ports 3'! spaced therealong each of which is provided with a cover 38 having clips 39 pivotally engaging the forward edge of the port. Lug- 4d are welded to the covers 38 and lugs M are welded to the lower surface of the panel adjacent the forward edges of the ports. Tension springs 42 secured to the lugs normally hold the covers closed. A rock shaft 43 journaled in bearings 44 secured to the lower surface of the panel 3| has cams 45 thereon bearing on the lower surface of the covers 38. A lever 46 secured to the shaft it permits it to be rotated manually wherebythe cams d5 cause the covers 38 to be tilted upwardly about their forward edges. This permits egress of cooling air admitted to the housing through a window in the front-end closure to be .described shortly.

The doors 2! and 30 are flanged panels having ventilating louvers 41, th doors 2'! bein hinged to the side panels [3a and Ma and the doors 39 being hinged to rear posts it and it. The hinges, indicated at 48, are of the concealed type including a U-shaped strap 49 welded to one flange of the door and having lugs 55 cooperating with lugs 5i secured to theposts and adapted to receive a pin 52 as shown in Figure 4. The flanges of the panels Kid and Ma and the post !5 and it are cut out as at 5-3 to permit the doors 2? and 38 to be opened wide.

Thedoors 2'! and 39 are provided with lociing levers 54 actuated by handles 55. and adapted to engage behind the edges of doors 28 and The doors 28 and 29 are generally similar to the doors 2'! and 30 but, instead of being hinged, are arranged for sliding movement. Each of the doors 23 and 29 has a pair of guide and bearing blocks 5t welded inside the lower flange thereof, and a pair of guide blocks 5'1 welded inside the upper flange. The blocks 55 and 51 have slots adapted to receive the vertical flanges of the angle bars 22 and 24. Each block55 also has a bearing ball 58 positioned in a hole 5 drilled through the block and the lower flange of the door. A spring 69 is disposed behind the ball 58 and a plug 6! is threaded into the hole to hold the spring and ball in place. Each block 55 also has a thumb screw 56a threaded into a hole extend ing fromthe inner side thereof, the screw being adapted to engage the vertical flange of the angle bar 32 to clamp the door in position. When the screw '62 have been released, the doors and 29 may be slid freely along the angle bars 22 24 which serve as guide rails therefor.

From the above description, it will be apparent that the sides of the housing H3 are uncle structed between the panels l3a and Ma and the rear posts l5 and l 6. As a result, when the doors 2! and 32) are open, the doors 28' and 2S, respectively, may be slid along the rails to the positions occupied by the doors 2'! and '38 when closed. Alternatively, both the doors 28 and 29 may be slid forwardly or rearwardly. Itwill be evident that this arrangement provides ready access to any point of the engine or power plant within the housing. At the same time, the location of the hinged doors 2'! and 30 at the extreme front and rear of the sides, leaves them in out-of-theway positions when open as compared, for example, to a construction in which all doors are hinged to vertical supporting posts.

The side panels 32 and 33 0f the roof have their lower edges hinged to the upper rails I! and 18 by hinges 62 similar to the hinges 48. The upper edges of the panels are secured to the angle bars 35 and 36 by bolts 63. On removing these bolts, the panels may be swung outwardly, leaving the greater portion of the roof open to admit light to the interior of the housing or provide access thereto from above.

The front end closure 34 is preferably in the form of a rounded shell which constitutes a onepiece continuation of the sides and roof. The closure has a raised portion 64 corresponding to the center panel 3! on the roof which merges into the front thereof as shown in Figure 1. A headlight supporting ring 65 is welded in this raised portion and is adapted to receive a headlight 66. A rail 61 similar to the bottom side rails II and i2 extends around the bottom of the closure. The front-end closure is secured to the remainder of the housing by bolting to the posts !3 and I4 and angle bars 2! so that it may readily be removed, if desired.

A window 68 is formed centrally in the front of the closure below the headlight 56. Just behind the opening is positioned a frame 69 having a plurality of shutter vanes l'fl pivoted thereto. The frame 69 is composed of angle bars welded together. The vanes 19 are composed of heavygauge sheet having one edge flanged as shown in Figure 5. Pivot pins H and F2 welded to oppo site ends of the vanes pass through holes in the upper and lower members of the frame 69. The edges of the vanes remote from their pivot pins have lug '53 pivoted to a control ba M. The side members of the frame'iii are notched at 15 to permit sufficient movement of the bar 14 to turn the shutter vanes to closed position as shown in chain lines in'Figure 6. The exterior appearance of the vanes when in closed position is as shown inFigure 3. When the vanes are in open position as shown in Figure 6, the flanged edges thereof present the appearance of grillebars. By this construction, I eliminate the usual grille for protecting the radiator installed behind the shutter vanes since the latter are made of metal of sufiiciently heavy gauge to make them strong enough to serve effectively as a protective grille. Any suitable mechanism may be provided for operating the bar 14 from the cab to adjust the shutter vanes as may be desired to maintain the proper temperature of the water in the cooling system of the engine.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description and explanation that my invention provides a housing for the engine or power plant of a locomotive driven by an internal combustion engine, having numerous advantages over the engine enclosures previously provided on such-locomotives. My housing has an attractive appearance and is sturdily constructed so as to withstand the shock and vibration incident to the operation of a locomotive. In addition, the combination of hinged and sliding doors forming substantially the entire sides of the housing and the hinged roof panels provides easy access to any part of the engine or power plant requiring attention. The entire construction, nevertheless, is relatively simple, being composed almost entirely of plate and standard structural members so that it can be readily fabricated at relatively low cost. Ample provision is made for the circulation of cooling air throughthe housing, as well as the control thereof in accordance with atmospheric temperatures existing from time to time.

Although I have illustrated and. described but a preferred embodiment of my housing, it will be I including a pair of downwardly curving side panels each hinged at its lower edge to one of said 7 top rails and a front end closure secured to the front arch member and the front posts, said closure forming a continuation of said panels.

2. 'An engine housing for locomotives or the like comprising spaced bottom rails, front and rear posts extending upwardly from said rails, upper rails supported on said posts, a roof carried on said upper rails, and front and rear arch members extending between said upper'r'ails, said roof being supported on said arch members and including a. center panel and a downwardly curv ing side panel on each side of the center panel, said side panels being hinged at their lower edges to said upper rails, respectively.

' JOSEPH M. MI-LHEIZLER. 

